Air cleaner for internal-combustion engines



June 24, 930., G. E TASKER ,767,324

AIR CLEANER Foa INTERNAL coMBUsTxoN ENGINES Filed July 5, 1927 PatentedJune 24, 1930 UNITEDI STATES GUY E. TASKEB, OF-DUBQUE, IOWA AIR CLEANERFOB, INTERNAL-GOMBUSTION ENGINES Application tiled July 5,

My invention relates to air cleaners for use with internal combustionengines.

The purpose of my invention is to provide an air cleaner for lnternalcombustion engines, which cleaner comprises a chamber or containeradapted to contain a suitable cleansing liquid, which is to bemaintained at approximately a certain height. intake pipe projects intothe container and has below the assumed liquid level a plurality ofspaced, discharge nozzles. Above the assumed liquid level, there isprovided what may be called aseparating compartment arranged with itsupper part in communication with the interior of the container, a draintube leading from the bottom of 'said compartment to the lower part ofthe container, a vent pipe extended from said compartment preferablyfrom the lower part thereofthrough a wall of the container.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in theconstruction, ar-

-rangement and combination ofthe various parts of my air cleaner,whereby the objects contemplated are attained, A asx hereinafter morefully set forth, pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of, an in ternalcombustion engine of thekind used for instance in motor-vehicles as equipped with an aircleanerembodying my invention. Figure 2 is a vertical, sectional view throughmy improved air cleaner illustrated in one form.

Figure 3 is a detail, sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure' 2.r

Figure 4 is a vertical, sectional view lower end of the intake pipe; and

Figure 5 is a vertical, sectional view through a modified form of myimproved cleaner.

It is well known that it is desirable to cleanse the air supplied to thecarburetor of an internal combustion engine. This is particularly trueof automobile engines which Atravel over dusty roads and of the' enginesof tractors which are used in agricultural operations.

My lmproved cleaner 1s used 1n connectlon ofthe It will,'of course, beunderstood that the.

1927. serial iro. 203,355.

with an internal combustion engine, the block of which has beenindicated 1n the accom- -panying drawings by the reference numeral 10. Ihave shown the engine 10 provided with the ordinary intake manifold 12.

Communicating with the intake manifold 12 is the carburetor 14, whichhas the ordinary air intake inlet 16.

For cleanin the air admitted to the inlet 16 and theret rough to thecarburetor for mixing with the fuel, I have provided a cleaner, one formof which is shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, and the other form ofwhich is shown in Figule 5.

The first and perhaps the preferred form of my device includes acontainer 18, preferablyl having the form of a hollow cylinder, thebottom of which is concave on its inner surface, as shown at 20 inFigure 2, for causing heavy particles to gather at the center of thebottom, and for permitting suitable and convenient drain e of `thecontainer 18 through the hole 22, which is normally closed by the plug24.

The container 18 is provided with a peripheral ange 26 at its upper endto which is detachably fastenedby means of bolts or the like 28 aremovable cover 30.

A11 intake pipe 32 is extended through the cover 30and is'provide'd withlock washers 34 and 36 on opposite sides of the cover.

The intake pipe extends into the lower part of the container 18 and isprovided at its lower end witha rotatably mounted end member or cup 38,which may be rotatably connected with the pipe 32 for free rotationthereon as by means of the flange 40 and channel 42 or any othersuitable means.

cup 38 forms the lower end of the pipe 32.

, Communicating with and projecting radially from the cup 38= I providea plurality of discharge pipes or tubes 44, which are circumferentiallyspaced on the cup 38 with relation to each other and project radiallytherefrom and terminate at their outer ends in horizontal,"substantially right-angled extensions 46.

The container 18 is intended to receive a` d suitable cleansing liquid48, which may be arranged to stand approximately at the height cept thatit is provided with a low spot 56 at.

its lower end from which there leads downwardly a drain tube 58,extending below the normal liquid level 50.

A vent or outlet pipe 60 is extended through the top 30 and securedthereto by means of lock nuts 62". The inner end of the vent pipe 60yprojects downwardly into the compartment 52 as clearly illustrated inFig-- ure 2.

I will now describe the practical operation of the airl cleanerillustrated in Figures 1 to 4 of my drawings.

It will be assumed that the vent pipe 60 is connected with the air inlet16 of the carburetor 14 and that the'outer end of the pipe 32 is open tothe air.

Then when the engine is. started, the suction from the engine andthrough the carburetor will draw air through the pipe 6() and thencefrom the interior of the container 18.

Normal air pressure will then force air through the intake pipe 32 andthe discharge tubes 44 and the nozzles 46 at the ends thereof into thelower part of the cleansing liquid 48. As the air passes upwardly fromthe nozzles 46 through the liquid 48, the air will be cleaned.

I have provided the `cup 38 rota-tabl 'mounted on the pipe 32 and thearms 44 wit theA discharge nozzles 46 arranged preferably iIi ahorizontal plane, so that when air is being discharged through thenozzles 46, the tubes 44 "and the cup 38 will rotate in the fluid forthus causing a more thorough mixing of the incoming air with thecleansing liquid and insuring the vcleanin of the air.

The air passes upwardly from the liquid and around the compartment 52and over the upper edge thereof as indicated by the arrows at 64, andthence downwardly into the `compartment 52 to the lower end of the pipeor tube 60, and thence'through the tube 60 to the carburetor.

If the air carries any liquid into the compartment 52 that liquid willbe almost entirely deposited in the compartment 52 and will returnn fromthence through the drain tube 58 to the body of the liquid 48.

By means of the compartment 52, I am able to reduce the likelihood ofcarrying of any excessive amount of the liquid 48 into the carburetor.

A device of this kind could, of course, be used for an air moistener.

My construction is such as to insure the thorough mixing of the air withthe liquid 48, the convenient carrying of the air from the container 18after the air has been cleaned, and the taking out'of the air passingfrom the liquid 48 any excessive amount of such liquid which the air maycarry out ,with it.

In Figure 5, I have shown a slightly modified form of my device intendedfor use where it is desirable to have a narrow casing to iit intocertain small spaces.

Instead of the container 18, I have shown, in the form of the deviceillustrated in Figure 5, a flat thin container 68, having a taperedbottom provided with a removable drain plug 72 and an intake passage 74along the one wall of .the container 68 extending nearly to the bottomof the containerv 68.

The container 68 has a removable top 76 which is generally similar tothe top 30 and may be ,fastened to the container 68 in the same way thatthe top 30 is fastenedl to the container 18.

At the lower end of the passage 74 that passage is provided with aright-angled projection 74a extending horizontally and provided with aplurality of spaced discharge tubes or nozzles 78, which serve to breakup the air intosmaller streams, and thus insure the more thorough mixingthereof with the liquid` 48, which is assumed to be the same in bothforms of my device.

At one side of the 'device shown in Figure v5 and spaced above thebottom thereof and above the assumed liquid level therein is aseparating compartment indicated Igenerally at 80, which at its upperpart communicates with the upper interior of the container 68.

A drain passage 82 leads from the lowermost part of the compartment 80toward the lower partof the interior of the container 68. An outletpassage 84 has its intake end near the bottom of the compartment 80 andspaced thereabove and it emerges from the side wall of the cleanercontainer adjacent to the top thereof.

The operation of the device shown in Figure 5 is similar to that of theone heretofore described withthe exception of those differences thatwould inhere in and follow from the differences in structure.

Air comes into the pipe 74 and thence to the various nozzles 78, Wherethe air is diffused for more conveniently and certainly effecting athorough mixture.

It will be understood that the nozzle may be made with 0r without therotatable feature. By using a plurality of separate, spaced dischargepoints, as shown, there will be such diiusion of the air throughout thewater, as is desirable.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement ofthevarious parts of my improved air cleaner, and it is my intention tocover by my claim any modified forms of struct-ure or use of mechanicalequivalents, which may be reasonably included Within its scope.

l claim as my invention:

An air cleaner for use with internal combustion engines comprising aclosed container adapted to receive a cleansing liquid, an intake pipefor discharging air into said liquid and into the lower part of saidcontainer, said intake pipe being supportedA by and depending from thetop of said container and-having at its discharge end a plurality ofreduced nozzles, a cup-shaped separating compartment arranged in thecontainer above the assumed level of the liquid therein having itsbottom surrounding and attached to said intake pipe and communicating atits open upper part with the container, and an air outlet passageleading from a position spaced above the bottom of said cup-shapedcompartment upwardly therefrom and thence to a point outside thecontainer.

Des YMoines, Iowa, June 20, 1927.

GUY E. TASKER.

